I'm looking for anyone who's interested in travelling around east coast of australia. I'm planning to go from melbourne to sydney and final stop at gold coast. It'll be from mid may to mid june.

details ? keke^^

may i cant...i will be going to aussie end of this year..for few weeks...wanna travel around...but i am going alone...

Was initially suppose to go to melbourne mid may too but postpone it to august now. Why are tiks to melbourne so expensive!

adelaide rules!!!! small, romantic and super happening

want cheap plane ticket. try transit flight or u can take air asia to singapore and take tigerairway to aussie or any plan from singapore will be cheaper than in malaysia.

thanks. that's what we're going to do coz tiks for two from kl to melbourne is RM5.8k while if i take tiger airway and fly via singapore to melbourne its only RM4k. Huge difference !

Yeah...that's what i did and its way cheaper.

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Added on March 20, 2008, 2:19 amWill be going alone to melbourne on 20th may from perth. thinking about spending a week or so there going around (ie. great ocrean road, philip island etc). that's why need more people to share cause if possible, will try to rent a car. then can share the cost. after that it'll be sydney. havent really thought what i'll be doing there yet but definately not just stayin in the city.

This post has been edited by bulfog: Mar 20 2008, 02:19 AM

interested. roughly hav to prepare how much AUS$?

would probably need bout more than 1000AUD. and that's probably just barely scrapping thru.

Hey all, i'll be heading to Australia for about a month in June/July. I'll be spending about 2 weeks in Melbourne, a week in Sydney, a single day in Canberra and a few days in Brisbane/Gold Coast....

Any suggestions as to MUST SEE tourist spots? Hang out bars? Good places to eat...and what's cheap in Australia other than chocolates?

I'll also probably need to find a good backpackers place to stay in Gold Coast and Brisbane....any good ones?


Will appreciate any suggestions...especially with regards to Melbourne. Thanks!

I only know melbourne as i went there last year to study.

Must try : MaxBrenner Hot Chocolate in QV Shopping Mall or Melbourne Central
: Freddo's Gelato in Lygon Street
: CocoBlack Hot Chocolate in Lygon Street

do we need visa to visi Australia ?

Not sure about brissy and Melb, but i've been to Sydney twice
- Visit OperaHouse/Harbour Bridge and the Rocks
- Shopping at market street (all the posh shopping malls there)
- Visit the fish market
- Chinatown and the paddy market

Not for Malaysians, the electronic visa comes together with your ticket

This post has been edited by samurai1337: Apr 27 2008, 09:11 AM

im going to sydney next week..i heard the cruise is good .. movie world is also good

ooooh, that's alot of chocolate...


Yeah, the opera house is a must along with the China town. There's like a china town in every country i go to.
Fish Market? Uhhhh, fish market?? Really....?


And yup, no need to apply for a visa.

[edited]

This post has been edited by waj: Apr 28 2008, 03:29 PM

how much to spend over there for 1 month...

vietnamese food in melbourne.

char kuey teow in boxhill.

stormringers @ G floor chadstones mall. (a type of dessert with some really funky taste)

dunno eh, i'll be staying with relatives, so i save quite a bit. But even then, my budget about RM6k. Will be travelling quite a bit.

Gonna bring back heaps of chocolates!!

Depends on your interest, but for me I think it's worth visiting.
http://www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au/

I usually go there for some fresh sushi and lobster

BTW I may be going to Sydney again on 19 May

This post has been edited by samurai1337: Apr 30 2008, 08:18 PM

oohhh ok. Fresh sushi sounds good! Alrite....thanks for the suggestions.

melbourne u can visit
-Vic Market
- Melbourne Museum ( i am amazed by the museum) i am not a museum person.. but surely can waste time there

- Philip Island ( penguin)
- Ballarat -( I say worth going)

You must definitely try the food in Sydney! Go to campsie for their Korean BBQ and Vietnamese Beef Noodles! Burwood for their cha seiw /seiw yuk / seiw pai kuat rice! Hmm...... Dim Sum is really good too! Haven't been there in a couple of years though, so can't tell you the direct location.

If you wanna go clubbing, my fave club used to be Home in Darling Harbour. Attend Sublime on a friday night! Remember no heels though!

Hmm tourist spots, you can probably get from the various websites. Try to wonder into the suburbs though, there's really only so much you can see in central. Now's probably not such a good time to visit the beaches, getting chilly~! Brr~

Oh, you can check out the factory outlets too if you plan to do some shopping. Lots of cheap french connection at birkenhead pt

Have fun ya~ Hope I made sense! Let us know how it goes!

I'm going to Melbourne in September though... Taking a self-drive holiday over there and I'll be visiting some of those places mentioned below also!

In short, here are some of Melb. and Victoria State's popular tourist attractions:

Melbourne
- Rialto Observation Deck
- Botanical Gardens
- Federation Square
- Crown Casino
- Melbourne Central
- Driving a boat along the Yarra River, very interesting sights!
- Yarra Valley vineries
- Mount Dandenong
- St. Kilda Road and Beach
- Albert Park Lake (the F1 circuit!)

Victoria State
- Great Ocean Road
- Phillip Island
- Mornington Peninsula
- Geelong and the Waterfront
- Daylesford Health Country
- Lakes Entrance
- Ballarat and Sovereign Hill (former gold-mining area, now an open-air museum)
- Mt. Buller Ski Resort

This post has been edited by THT United Gadgets: May 1 2008, 03:35 PM

According to my colleagues, weather now in Melb and Sydney is very cold (a bit unusual for autumn), so if you're going there soon, pack some thicker clothes

Brissy

- Lone Pines
- Mount cootha
-Southbank
- Brisbane Bronco Stadium
- Sea world
- OUTBACK ( must try )
- Outback Festival
GC

- Surfer Paradise ( must stay here facing the ocean, value for money to see the sun rise )
- Redcliff
- Ripley's Believe it or Not
- Habour Town
- wax Museum

Sydney
- The Rock ( where Opera House is )
- BLUE MOUNTAIN (Must try )
- habour Bridge climbing
- Toorangoo Zoo
- darling harbour
- Sea Cruise
- fish Market
- Queen victoria Mall
- paddy's Market

too many places to go....bring back a lot of memories....

If you have time..try to go for skiing too in south australia

whoa thanks dude. i was planning to visit the blue mountains...heard it is a really great place with some great cafes. Haha, u too recommended the fish market...i guess i'll make that a priority then...

Try to stay a nite in Blue Mountain..and you will know why it's call blue mountain.

fish market in sydney is the best...you can see people throwing fishes around and singing..in fact i'll be there this August for my chop extension of PR ship. You and arrive in fish market by tram...it;s onyl AUD 2 dollar....try the monorail too in sydney whole day only AUD 10, transport is the killer in aussie.

I'm planning a 12 days trip in sydney.. can you guys tell me more about blue mountain? the price and the tour package? thanks

Is cold that right

2 days ago
Melbourne weather went done to 2 C zzzz
crazy man

yeah it's pretty chilly. but well, if they can survive...hopefully i can. am looking forward to skiing...

the tour varies....best to hop on a bus and when u reach there look for a hotel...it's pretty safe in aussie..so ni worries mate'

alsree..tumpang your thread..

hojeff, i only have a day visit in blue mountain.. and there is tons of package available, so based on your experience which package will show me the best part of blue mountain? haha..

I was in Sydney last year and I bought a Day Tour package to the Blue Mountains at the Darling Harbour visitor centre and I was very pleased with it. I think the tour agency was called FJ tours or something. It was about $100 or so, can't quite remember. It included the transportation to Blue Mountains by shuttle, a buffet lunch, visits to other tourist spots on the way such as the Featherdale Wildlife Park (which I loved!), Echo Point and others as well as a return trip to Darling Harbour by cruise. The only additional thing we had to pay was for the rides at the Blue Mountains. I would highly recommend visiting Blue Mountains.

Paddy's Market is the best place to buy cheap souvenirs. We saw the same stuff that we bought there at double or triple the price in other places in Sydney! But you need to plan to slot them in because they only open on weekends.

The visitor centres are god-sent and are available everywhere. Just look for the yellow signboards. I bought my ticket combo at a cheap price for the Aquariym, Wildlife Centre and Sydney Tower + OzTrek. The Oztrek experience alone was quite worth the price of the entire combo but that could just be the kid in me saying that!

This post has been edited by Blue07: May 10 2008, 09:43 AM

no problem.

i'll be in blue mountain with relatives. my cousin works in a hotel somewhere in that area, so she knows the place pretty well. has a apartment very near darling harbour. i heard there's a lindt cafe there that's great!!

i never took any tour package last time as i was staying there during my uni days...but if you only have a day to go...i suggest u travel early..it would be best if you can put up a nite there try out York FairMoount Resort...it's a very nice resort overlooking the Blue Mountain..else u can try Palias Royale or The Mount Heritage...wake up early and u will know it's call Blue Mountain....

for tour u can book into BCL tours...alot of packages to choose from..personally...the 4WD eco tour....

There're usually information booths around I think,those should help you figure what to do.

Loadsa ppl have mentioned loadsa stuff,so I'll just add MovieWorld into the list,or specifically the Superman Escape ride there. I mean,even if you're not too big a roller coster fan,you might as well experience it since you're there It's at Helensvale iirc,not too far from GoldCoast. (U can catch a bus frm GC)

Erm,are you into wine? Loadsa wine valleys around,but not too sure if it's viable for you to travel frm the places you're going. It's somewhere north of Adelaide iirc. Barossa valley and what nots. Good food and good wine there
Must try food...kangaroo steak? Haha seriously,when in the right hands,it can be pretty good
If you're into steak,look out for Hog's Breath. Not a fancy restaurant,just some cafe branch thingie,but they have awesome primes.
If you're around Surfers' Paradies (GC) you can eat at SeafoodMania. (just ask around) Kinda like fast seafood thing. Decent price,nice food,large portions

thanks for all the info man..will wake up early to catch the view..



This post has been edited by Enferno: May 11 2008, 03:12 AM

anyone uses ISIC i.e. the international student card??

yes..but depending on the state....isic i not much of a use unless u apply for the student card there for concession rate

I'm back from Aussie... great place... stayed there for 12 days.

Blue07, i took the same blue mountain package also. we managed to get the whole package for $72. which is quite a bargain. if anyone need advise on sydney or gold coast .. i might be able to help...

Hey cool! I have to go and check how much my package was .... I really can't remember but I was very pleased with the price.

Did you happen to get Big Jim as your guide? He's hilarious.

oh cool...any good places to recommend to stay in GC. i was thinking of staying in a backpackers place...but not sure. seems that blue mountain package is a must try....

I'm going there to visit my sister and also holidays, so happy can't wait to go there... really thanks to MAS (sorry, i'm not promoting for mas), but I very lucky got booked the cheap ticket, total only RM722.00 include tax... yesterday when I compare MAS and Air Asia, Air Asia only the ticket fare already charge me RM759 not include tax yet...
Now I just have to wait for day to come and go there... yuuuhooo!!!

wah thats cheap...does that include return?

damn..this is not a deal , infact a steal !! sigh i look at the price right now , i also dont feel like going aussie , wish to bring my gf go holiday ..

For melbourne, the best way to familiarize yourself with the city is to take the Melbourne City Tourist Shuttle and City Circle Tram. Both are free hop-on hop-off services with recorded narration on board, and the route goes through most of the tourist attractions around the CBD area. I'd suggest you to take these on the early stage of your visit to Melbourne, as one of the stops is Federation Square. There's a huge tourist information centre down there, and you could get plenty of vouchers that you could use throughout your stay - a great way to save money!

2 weeks in Melbourne is plenty of time. Some tourist destinations outside the city area have already been mentioned earlier in the thread. I'd personally recommend Sovereign Hill in Ballarat

RM722.00 for one way, I dun know when I wan come back yet, so dun wan to buy return ticket 1st, but still, RM722.00 is consider cheap lor..

not trying to scare you totz but do take note of your sis' address and phone number. and try to ask her to stay up till you have cleared immigration n customs. coming into aus with a one way ticket will be akin to painting your back with a big bullseye. make sure your english is up to scratch as well and is able to explain why you've bought just a one way ticket without being nervous as the immigration guys tend to spot n pick single people who appear like they are jumping aeroplane, and from watching a tv show called border security here, u might run into some trouble.

i got tickets from singapore (i'll be in singapore when i depart) - darwin (transit) - melbourne and return via the same transit route including melbourne - gold coast - melbourne for about RM1450 in total....

wow???....rm722 for one?...such a lucky buyer...when u will be going?...

owh?...which airlines ticket you bought?...rm1450 for return Singopare - Melbourne kinda cheap...
you will be staying for how long?...

Is surely...man.
By the way, visa is easier to apply than to China. Just need a few minutes only

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Added on June 14, 2008, 11:11 pmis that really enough for one month? how bout your flight ticket?
as your RM6k change to AUS with the rate 3.1, then you just have AUS 1875.
enough for one month? I'm not sure...

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Added on June 14, 2008, 11:20 pmI think you can take a package at Central market, Sydney with only AUS 40~ 50. It is a one day trip...
and the guide will bring you go all around the blue mountain. It's really a nice place as well as Genting/ Cameron highland
Besides, there also have a nice story^^

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Added on June 14, 2008, 11:37 pmYa, I think so...
that is because I face this type of problem whenever I reach the airport at Sydney (although I bought the two way tickets).
i think they will check and call back ur country, especially for Malaysians.
Really dump... this make me trouble oso nervous at that time.

This post has been edited by whattodo: Jun 14 2008, 11:37 PM

erksss?...check and call the country back?...isn't that so strict...
even in Heathrow didn't do like that...they really have extra time to check and call....
or that's depend with the person-in-charge?...

^ depends really. i've personally never experienced being busted by the immi peeps, but it depends on the mood or the personality of the peeps, UNLESS you look seriously dodgy or fidgety when they talk to you. i can share 2 incidents:

1. my best friend came down to adelaide to meet us. he got held at the immi cos he was travelling alone and didnt have a hotel booking so my other friend who was at the airport to pick him up had to go into the immi to clear him through. they literally came out to the arrival hall asking for anyone who knows the guy in question while pointing to the passport.
2. my sis' bf came down to visit her in sydney, and while transiting at goldcoast, he was held at the immi for having some work clothes and a resume, plus he did not have a hotel reservation. highly suspicious, no doubt, and the immi went through his belongings like a crazy kid on christmas morning. even as much as going through his sms'es on his phone. they then called my sis to verify before allowing him to pass.

and yes, they do have the time to check, as it IS their job to do so. and yes, they have an uncanny ability to pick out dodgy people, especially those travelling alone and not for studies.

should be ok...since i dun really have to pay for food...and i will get a car there for my own use. so basically just pay for all the tourist stuff and souvenirs...any major expenses use card la!

hmmm... it's winter, try going to the hot springs!! i have been to hot springs in peninsular, 1 hour from melbourne... nice!! cold weather and dip yourself into water with around 40 degrees...

erm... usually day tours cost you around 100-200bucks... and meals normally cost you around 15-20 for cheap ones if you eating out, or you will be having a mobile ATM to pay for your food all the time?

but if you are prepared to use your cards, then dont worry, you can use your card almost anywhere!!!

anyone tried the Great Ocean Road tour by Gowest tours?

great ocean road is so boring i can say...

haha alrite. was recommended by my brother...but he told me to stay for a nite. im just taking a day tour...for the fun of it!

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Added on June 19, 2008, 5:13 amone more thing....how difficult is it to get cabs in australia... i will need to catch a cab in brisbane at about 5 to 6pm to some place i have no idea where (outer city destination)...hope cabs are easily available...

This post has been edited by alsree786: Jun 19 2008, 05:13 AM

wah for 1mth .. where you staying ? i mean in hotels ? must be so X

owh?...when you informed that...reminded me of my uncle's friend...
he also experienced something like that in UK...thought when reached there...his friend would arrange everything...
so he didn't remember his friend's address or anything...and got "stuck" with immigration officer...more than hours need to clear that..
didn't remember how he settle with the officer...

so...which part of Australia you will be staying longer?...

cabs wor... the meter RUNS one wor... very expensive i would say... better plan your trip properly, look for the addresses where you going to and from... then plan from the website... i am not sure about brisbane...

but in melbourne, i plan my trip via www.metlinkmelbourne.com.au

by the way, great ocean road, you should google for the pics... if you think those rocks/stones/whatever look yummy to you then you should go... but to me they are just some random rocks...

haha, no lah. i got relatives and friends around. WIll only be staying in hotels for a few days in Gold Coast and Brisbane. Budget!


Ok thanks. I got no choice but to take cab...but only for that trip. My friend says should cost approx. AUS$40. Im very very bad with directions...might get lost if i take Bus. ....thanks for the link!!

Hey ckwei, thanks for your reminding.. my sis told me about this also..
Thanks alot...

Any1 went to adelaide for holiday recently? any cheap accomodation over there? tot of going to adelaide for backpacking in tis Spring time. jz wondering how much does the accomodation cost now...

fuel surcharge went off the roof.

end of the year? summer? hot hot!!

how much normally the flight ticket to melbourne at the matta fair???

im interested but got uni ler that time

cause you book very late my friend told me his flight by tiger was about or less than rm 2k i bought my flight to melbourne for RM 3120 i still remember cause i paid all by my self hahaha it was a great experience everything there the food the people are friendly only some are racist weather was great i was there during july it was Winter! super fun i love it im going there next year again

I was in Adelaide visiting a friend last Dec/Jan. I'm not sure about the accomodation but you can of course check out hostelworld.com and such for the prices. It's important to know where exactly do you want to visit in Adelaide cos when I went there I thought Adelaide being a smaller city compared to Syd and Melb, there aren't much to do; and I was there to just spend time with a friend. But turns out there are quite a few things to do. For one, Adelaide Hills will be a good start since it's a decent distance away from the city; you can do a day trip there or spent a night if you want to. There are a few areas to visit in Adelaide Hills, but I just managed to drop by Hahndorf (a German village) and nearby is the Strawberry Farm of the famous Beerenberg jam. You can pick strawberries there which I did

Other than that, if you're into wine you can always visit the wine valleys, e.g. Barossa Valley, Jacob's Creek and many more. You should also google more about the Fleurieu Peninsula which covers places like Victor Harbour and a few other interesting spots. If you like to see wildlife at closer distance and see them at their natural habitat, then you should go to Kangaroo Island which is kind of like a open safari. But it's difficult to travel around cos there's no public transportation there, (truly nature at its best), so you'd either follow a tour or rent a car.

The city itself has nothing much to offer really, since KL has way more shopping malls. The usual one that the locals go to would be the Rundle Mall. You should also try out the Haigh's chocolate that Ade is famous for and if you're curious on how they were made, you can always go for a tour in their choc factory. Not a lot to see but it can be a relaxing afternoon tour around. Oh, and they have the Botanical Garden in the city and of course museums and there's a famous lake as well, but I can't quite remember what is it called.

Hopefully my experiences can be helpful to you...

thanks for your sharing your experiences.. great. i have actually run thru the southaustralia.com website. very useful site and places u mentioned was their attractions.

how much in total u have spent there? a 1-2 weeks trips.. how much AUD should i standby?

I'm not sure of the exact amount I spent there. Minus the flights I think it was about 700 AUD. But I was living with a friend, so accommodation was free and cos I went for a tour that - I realized was quite exp after thinking about it - costed 400AUD for 2days 1night in Kangaroo Island. In total, I spent 1100 AUD for 15 days for both Ade(11days) and Syd(4days). I was on my own in Syd.

For meals, you can get kebabs for 6,7, or 8 aud. A proper restaurant meal would be 15-20aud. The bus system in Ade is kinda efficient. If you will be staying more than 3 days in the city, I would recommend that you buy a one week pass rather than paying everytime you get on board the bus cos it's cheaper. You can get the weekly pass from the Adelaide Metro office in the city (just ask anyone, they'll know).

So how much you need depends on what kinda trips will you be going. I think 1 week will be enough to cover the South Australia region unless you wanna take it easy and it'll be good to bring about 700aud.

Any reliable online travel agents that offer good packages for tours in Victoria? So far, I only found visitvictoria.com that provides attractive packages.

Calling all Aussie, Australia goers and Australia potential tourist!

Just wanna share & exchange feedback on planning a family tour to Australia in particular Sydney & Melbourne in 2009 with those who are interested in visiting Australia.

Initial plan is to visit Sydney & Melbourne sometime in Oct-Nov 09 to coincide with Spring time.

Feedbacks or ideas most welcomed on:

1) the timing, whether Spring time is a good time to visit? Hows the weather like? Cold & Rainy?

Expected :
Rain is mostly just small drizzles.
Weather changes pretty quickly when dusk comes
Sydney-cap & sweater
Melbourne-a water resistant jacket/wind breaker, jeans and boot
weather this winter/spring very extreme! extremely cold this week, and hot the week after.
it usually rains alot there, and it far much colder than Sydney.

2) would a 3N sydney & 2N Melbourne be sufficient

3) any great itinerary to include for places within the region of Sydney & Melbourne and opinions?
List of possible places compiled:-



SYDNEY

Day ONE
-Paddy's Market
a) Haymarket -open from friday - sunday :Must buy Cherries -Cherries won't be available til mid spring as the earlier batches r mostly unedible/sour
b) Tee-shirts, souvenirs, hats, koala/kangaroo/sheeps etc. Check shirt quality before u buy. Haggling and bargaining is a MUST. Estimated 3 hours easily.
c) Top floor - food area
-Chinatown -Can reach by Tram, stop at Haymarket) -200m stretch of road
a) Food court (next to Haymarket) - cheap & big portion chinese delicacies
-Darling Harbour
a) Maritime Museum-history class & good place to snap picture.
b) IMAX theatre,
c) nature park &
d) sydney aquarium
e) shopping centre :Must try Kebabs
f) Star City Hotel & Casino : Time for gaming
g) Sydney Harbour Cruise : Recommended during evening or morning cruise
h) OR short ferry ride from the ferry terminal to darling harbour. Quite Cheap. Nice view, esp at night. Although if
you going for the blue mountains tour, most include a river cruise back fr Olympic Park in the evening, so can skip
-Sydney tour bus -hop on hop off bus to all the main tourist spots in Sydney. (2 lines, red and blue. 1 is for the city area, while the other bus goes to Bondi etc, at bondi, there's a walk that can take you from Bondi to the next stop, going around the cliffs next to the sea. Beautiful scenery)

Dining: I'm Angus: a full bay-view here, nice and romantic

Day TWO : east and north of sydney
-Hyde Park :biggest park in sydney city
-St Mary Cathedral :old Church & lots of govt. building
-Botanical Garden
-Sydney Opera :scenic pictures-best time sunset @6pm
-Harbour bridge : Bridge climb; pillars projected with image. Hmmm... wat image?
-King Cross Rock Area : Backup only for drinking with aussies
-The Rocks Market : under the shadow of Sydney Harbour Bridge, open on Sat & Sun btw 10:00-17:00
-George Street :
a) Queen Victoria Building--QVB (a Malaysian House restaurant, sells superb laksas and curry)/ Grace
Bros' shopping
b) High class shopping area
c) 2 Famous Chocolate Shop : darrel lea and Haigh's.
d) Sydney Tower
-The Strands
-Paramatta-shopping "mid valley" size
-King's Cross : Red Light District, visit with caution: High crime area
-Paddington Market - Every Saturday 10:00-16:00 on route to Bondi Beach
-Bondi Beach -Bondi Beach Market, Every Sunday inside Bondi Beach Public School
-Museums
-Tour (hand feed sharks and rays -> http://www.ozsharkandray.com.au/)


Day THREE
-Blue Mountain
-Scenic Cableway
-Katoomba
-Featherdale Wildlife Park aka Zoo
Note : 1 day Blue Mountain tour available for around A$70 for a 1 day tour. Heavy walking: Wear a comfortable shoe

Must buy: 3 sisters wine. cant get it outside of 3 sisters hill, not even in katoomba.
Must visit : Coles supermarket, hmmm.. where is the nearest Coles?
Woolies, more varieties to buy and see, cheap cloths
Kmart and BigW
QVB

Accommodation: World Tower / Chinatown / Sydney City Center / YHA Railway or Chinatown (to get Youth Hostelling International Card from YMCA)
Remarks: Shop closed early from monday-wednesday. Not much activity after 9pm except bars.
Alert: Sydney and Melbourne aren't crime free, beware of pickpocket or con-men

websites: http://www.sydney.com.au/


MELBOURNE

Day FOUR
-Victoria Market
-Chadstone Shopping (backup plan)
-Shopping at Melbourne city: Myer; David Jones; factory outlet (DFO) beside Southern Cross station.
-DFOS for cheap and branded clothes
-Botanic Garden @ CDB
-flea market in St Kilda
-Eureka Tower (view melb from 88th floor)
-cherry blossom bloom in the city

Dining: greek food at Stalactite

Day FIVE
-Yarra Valley
-Puffing Billy Steam Train
-Koala Conservation (Heallesville Sanctuary?)
-Tesselar Tulip Festival : Mid Sept - Early Oct.

-Melbourne Zoo
-Ballarat gold mining town
-or Warrantina Lavender Farm : Nov
-skiing/snowboarding at Mt.Buller (AUD$139-1day) -www.mtbuller.com.au / Falls Creek
til end Sept

Dining: Crown Casino, fish&chips @5AUD etc

Day Six
-Great Ocean Road (12 Apostle - now left with Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea), heehhehe
a) london bridge (collapsed already), forest walks, waterfall etc
b) whole day tour (est. 3-5 hrs drive one way)
c) not suitable for rainy, cloudy or foggy days
d) 40+AUD for great ocean road tour / drive
-or Grampians (climb rocks, see wildlife, waterfalls, bush walks)
-Phillip Island (72-99AUD)/ Penguin Parade (Not recommended -Penguin MIA) -As backup


Accommodation: Quality Batman's Hill on Collins St @ CBD/ Crowne Hotel / less than AUD30 per nite; http://www.hostelworld.com/findabed.php?Ch...untry=Australia / Malaysia Hall


Must eat/drink: krispy kreme donuts, Max Brenner there is nice! the waffle + ice cream +chocolate dip, aussie milk,
Toohey's beer, lemonade-solo/lift
To buys: FCUK shirts, cadbury chocolates, nougat

Hertz Car Rental -AUD50-70 a day / 8days < AUD500
Thrifty Car Rental -AUD200+ / week

- edited with suggestion, courtesy of Enferno, finkl1, sinichi_v, kikurazz, Xziled, Cas, jchong, Quasar etc.




4) flights - which is the better choice in terms of budget & flight? AirAsia-Melbourne OR MAS-Sydney OR QANTAS OR SIA-Sydney OR Jetstar-Sydney


5) which method of ideal transport btw Sydney-Melbourne? Domestic flight OR Bus OR Rail (if any) OR rented car (with GPS)


Recommend: Virgin Blue / Jetstar
Sydney to Melbourne flight : 2 hours
Estimated cost : AUD80-200

Note: Avoid booking the last flight of the day due to high risk of flight cancellation.



6) how far or how long btw sydney and melbourne?

Driving 7-8 hrs

7) any decent 3-4 star hotel in City Centre with good location or close to convenient public transport? perhaps close
to Chinatown.

8) any other nice flower show/park/festival to witness the best of spring blooms such Tesselar Tulip Festival?

9) any nice farm to experience on hand plucking and tasting of spring fruits? What r the fruits in season in Oct & Nov

This post has been edited by D-Tourist: Jan 4 2009, 11:10 PM

1. If u went to Australia before then u should try the other seasons that u have not been yet. I'm not sure abt Sydney but in Melbourne, the weather is a bit extreme. It can rain heavily and the next 10min stop. I went there during winter recently in July so it's a new experience for me as i went skiing and it was great fun but it was also damn cold ler..lol but sometimes it's not that bad. So it's up to u. Summer in Melbourne would be terrible, coz it's hot and dry.

2 & 3. 3D in Sydney would suffice i guess but in Melbourne i dun think it's enough if u wanna visit at least a few must-see landmarks when u're there. Having a look in the city may take u 1 whole day if not 2 days ler..there u can go to Victoria Market, the museum, zoo, shopping, trying those different kinda foods etc. As for the tours, Great Ocean Road is a must and also since u might not get a chance to c it next time unless it's still there xD I dun recommend Penguin Parade coz i have a bad experience there which also the tour is not worth ur money because u can just go to the zoo and c the same penguins close up. Btw, there's another thread on Melbourne so u should check it out as it contains more stuff and also detailed stuff which i also shared there ler

4. I think AirAsia is quite reliable now and if u r on a budget traveling then this would be the choice ler..if u r feeling rich and dun mind the cost then u can take MAS. Qantas wouldn't be my choice at the moment or maybe not until they check their planes properly. If u never heard or read newspapers recently, there a few cases when their planes incurred damage and were forced to land and gave passengers the scare ler..so no i won't risk it xD SIA i have no comments since i have not fly in that yet. Jetstar is also another version of AirAsia but more expensive. So conclusion will be either AA or MAS.

5. Domestic flight- Virgin Blue is also a good choice. Australia is not like M'sia where u only take few hours to reach u know

6. I think is a few hours by flight ler..not sure abt it xD maybe 3-4 hours? I only know that Brisbane-Melbourne is 2 hours by flight.

7. Hmm, this u gotta check around as i'm not sure but i heard a lot of ppl stayed at Batman's hills or something like that in Melbourne, so refer to the other thread i mentioned as above ler to find out more coz i stayed with my friend there so i never looked around

8. Not sure xD gotta check around lor i guess

9. Not too sure though but i think spring there is ler..either u go urself or maybe by tour or ask around at the travel agency?

Thanks for the reply. I've never been to Australia before which is why i raised this topic to discuss on Australia considering that the current economic condition has made travelling to Australia so much cheaper.. hehehehe....

I'm thinking of spring becoz we haf not experienced spring before. Trips to other countries has been primarily autumn season so quite bored with autumn.

Hmmm, anyone else familiar with Australia, please come share ur knowledge & experiences since i'm sure with the cheaper exchange there will a lot more ppl interested in visiting Australia.

i studied in Adelaide, working in Canberra, been umpteen times to Syd and Melbourne so i can give u some advice from a 'tourist' point of view

anyhow, to cut long story short, Spring is quite nice to be in Aus. Not too cold, and occassionallly you still get that cold breeze nights
i'm not going to point out everything, but in general, the places u mentioned are the usual tourist spots, so no harm in researching somemore on the net other places
u mentioned budget flight, so it's obvious to go with Air Asia and fly into Melb. FYI, JetStar doesn't do KL-Syd anymore. Till Oct 08 only if i'm not mistaken. So Air Asia is good if you want to travel cheap.
flight from Syd-Melb generally takes about 2 hours? Don't drive from Syd-Melb. It's a hell of a drive (it's pretty far).Unless you are travelling in a group of 7/8 where renting a van is cheaper than flights, don't drive. Good view, good experience but it'll kill ur trip because in the end you will be dead tired driving 7-8 hours. Trust me, i've driven before from Adl-Melb, and it's no fun at all.
for accomos, check Wotif.com - a very good source of accommos.

p/s: just came back from Jap and now already plan next year trip ar?? geng ar u
i'm still reeling from my tokyo trip experience!!!

hahhahaha... hafto plan in advance mar...since Australia is going to be free & easy unlike Japan which was tour package mar... and its still 1 yr away

good to plan early, buy ticket early more discount n much cheaper

2 nights in melbourne is pretty short.. if u want to go great ocean road, i suggest spending 2-3 nights there, maybe drive through grampians as well.

wats in grampians?
actually wat is so great about GOC other than the 8 remain apostles and the magnificent cliff-ocean view? considering it takes whole day to tour? Seems a bit overrated? Btw heard that timing is important considering that sometimes it's covered wif fog.. and thus no view

This post has been edited by D-Tourist: Oct 14 2008, 01:18 PM

worked in australia for a few months, been to Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney...but most of the time based in Sydney.


@Sydney:
Some city transports, get a map. Buses are pretty much on time. I usually walk around the city, because I stayed around there.

-Chinatown , or Haymarket district.
You can reach it from Trams (refer maps) or google earth, stops at Haymarket. It's a 200m stretch of road. There visually isn't much to see but restaurants, abalone shops, some small chinese groceries.
There is however a food court (if u can find it - Forget the name), along the stretch of road, that sells quite cheap and BIG portions of chinese delicacies (wanton, etc...). Cheap and good on the tummy.

What you might be interested resides inside Haymarket building.

Tee-shirts, souvenirs, hats, koala/kangaroo/sheeps...etc. Do check on shirt quality before u get them. Haggling and bargaining is a MUST. Remember there is lotsa shops. You might spend 3 hours easily there.
There is a market next to it...if you're early , get some fresh fruits and chew on it....seriously not to miss.


-Darling Harbour
Harbour view...i can't remember what I did there...some cycling, some restaurants...but mostly the things are expensive here.

-King Cross Rock Area - Are you referring to "the Rock"?.
It's situated near Circular Quay. Walking distance. They have a sorta evening "pasar" malam every Thursday or Tuesday...i forgot...where, some display of arts and stuff on the road. There is alot of "ang mou" shops here, pubs, bars...and some shopping souvenir shops.
The quality of the tee-shirts, towels, ...are comparitively higher than Haymarket....likewise the price. Worth to spend time there. Bargain is encouraged.

-Sydney Opera
For me...nothing much, unless I really am going in for some concert, but usually the broadway theatre at King's Road or ...near QVB would suffice.

-Sydney Harbour Cruise
Fairly a trip . Enjoyable and relaxing...won't be the Macau sorta feeling.
Don't take this in the afternoon. Do it evening or morning....much better.

-Blue Mountain
3 sisters...that's what you want to see. Cable car views in the valley...etc..
I'm not much of a environment person, so scenary did not post much interest to me, unless you like taking landscapes.

-Scenic Cableway- blue mountain same
-Katoomba - not sure...
-Featherdale Wildlife Park- If ausssie animals are something you wish to experience...this is a great place to go. Not sure the entrance price.


You miss quite some areas...probably I more city folked, and did not spend much time at all outdoor.

a) Museums
b) QVB ( there is a Malaysian House restaurant, if you can find it...sells superb laksas and curry )/ Grace Bros' shopping
c) shopping "mid valley" size at Paramatta
There are couple of nice restaurants outskirt, which you could try. Great calamaris, trouts and snappers. Fresh too...Don't go on lobsters and prawns and etc...not really worth it.

The weather changes pretty quickly when dusk comes.
Rain is mostly just small drizzles.
I would get a cap, a sweater....however for Melbourne, you should get a water resistant jacket/wind breaker, jeans and boot...it usually rains alot there, and it far much colder than Sydney.
As always....please alert always. Sydney and Melbourne aren't crime free...UNLESS you are in Adelaide...that's OK. hahahaha....

So, enjoy the trip, do some adventure facts finding and don't get pickpocket or conned.

thanks for the detailed explanations... much appreciated.

Melbourne 3d2n might not be enough if you're planning to go to those places you mentioned.

Yarra Valley, Puffing Billy Steam Train, Koala Conservation (Heallesville Sanctuary?), Tesselar Tulip Festival are nearby so probably you can make go there at the same time. The Tesselar Tulip festival is only from mid Sept - early Oct. If you are here sometime in November, there's the Warrantina lavendar farm in the neighbouring area.

Personally, I wouldn't recomend going to Chaddy unless if you're in the neighbouring area. I think the Malaysian shopping complexes are bigger and better. If you want to shop, Melbourne city would be enough, there's Myer and David Jones there, and a factory outlet (DFO) beside the Southern Cross station.

Also, Melbourne weather this winter/spring very extreme! It can be extremely cold this week, and then hot the week after.

This post has been edited by sinichi_v: Oct 18 2008, 05:21 PM

repost:
wats in grampians?
actually wat is so great about GOC other than the 8 remain apostles and the magnificent cliff-ocean view? considering it takes whole day to tour? Seems a bit overrated? Btw heard that timing is important considering that sometimes it's covered wif fog.. and thus no view

grampians you can go there to climb the rocks, see some wildlife, waterfalls, bush walks etc.
for goc, there's also the london bridge (collapsed already), forest walks, waterfall etc. can google for more information. the reason why it is a whole day tour is because it takes about 5 hours to get to 12 apostles?? most tours use the shortcut on the way back so that will be about 3-4 hrs drive.
yes, it is better not to go to goc when it's raining / cloudy. you won't be able to see much of the 12 apostles when there's fog. also, if it's cloudy, it will be a little dark when you reach the 12 apostles?

Spent 10 days in Sydney alone. roamed the whole city. i can comment on this place. I managed to visit all the attractions in 3 days.

Notes: It is better to get a place to stay in middle of Sydney city. Cos this will save u a lot in transportation. Public transport in Sydney is not cheap, but very efficient. I stayed in World Tower, so all place of interests are within walking distance except Katoomba/blue mountain...lol.

You do not need to buy a map. you can get it in hotels/tourist office(free).

what finkl1 mentioned, Sydney aren't safe to roam during the night. My friends were followed when they walk around the city at night. So be careful, go in group.

It is quite hard to get internet access in sydney. If you wish to surf, there is a CC in World Square. they charged $1 per hour from 8pm-10pm. that is the cheapest.hehe..

Shop closed early from monday-wednesday. Not much activity after 9pm except bars.



Place of interest:

1st day:
Morning
Paddy's market - the best place to shop for souvenir, bargain bargain.. but i'm suck in bargaining.. just to remind. haymarket open from friday - sunday only. there is a wet market, you can get the freshest and cheapest vege and fruits here. Cherry is a must buy. you must be careful again as the wet market are run by chinese so try not get cheated.. chinese is way to cunning. hahaha..

After shopping and if you feel hungry, go up to the top floor for food. i recommend to try the indian curry(very special) and chinese mixed rice(cheap).

Chinatown - nothing much, there is a shop selling mustard ball.. u will notice the shop cos lots of ppl will be 'Q'ing.

Afternoon
Darling harbour - during the day, you can visit Maritime Museum, free access to get some history class. good place to snap picture. IMAX theatre, nature park, sydney aquarium are located here. Want to look for food? there is a shopping centre, look for fast food or kebabs. I've been wondering why Australians like kebabs a lot, you can see a lot of kebab shops here. I'm surprised to see our finger lickin' good restaurant here.

After filling up tummy, walk down to Star City Hotel & Casino, yes casino,hehe... play few round and test your luck..

Night:
Won some Aussie dollar, so what next?

there are a lot of fine restaurants here. I dined at I'm Angus, will give it a 3/5. You will get a full bay-view here, very nice and romantic .

thats it for the 1st day. you've covered the west and south side of Sydney.

2nd day:

We will go east and north of sydney. Our checkpoint will be Hyde park,St Mary's Cathedral, botanical garden,opera house, harbour bridge, The Rock, Queen Victoria Building, St Andrew Anglican Cathedral.

Hyde Park - The biggest park in sydney city, it is way better than KLCC park. nothing much here, few memorial site and landmarks.

St Mary's Catholic Church - very old Church. It is the place for this year's youth day where the pope attended the ceremony. I missed that, just 1 month away...haiz.. after St Mary's , lots of government building.

Royal botanical garden - no information.

opera house - actually there is nothing much to see. but it is a good site to take some scenery pictures. Wait for the sunset, view is at its best this time. If you have time wait till around 6pm, the pillars of harbour bridge will be projected with image.

The ROCK - nothing much, worth visiting only if you wish to have a drink with australians.

Harbour bridge - did not climb that, my apartment have a better view of the whole sydney city.
Amp tower - didn't visit. same reason as above.

Move on, walk along george street. The area along Queen Victoria Building, is the Shopping area, higher class 'bukit bintang area'. There are 2 famous chocolate shop here, darrel lea and Haigh's.

well, thats another day...

basically, in this 2 days, I've almost covered the whole city center. there is a smaller exotic place to visit. King Cross, heard a lot from my Aussie's friend. Sydney's red light district, well we went there just to see the difference of Aussie's chow kit compared to malaysia. Once again, sydney is not crime free city, and you are going to a place run by gangsta. So think twice k,? the possibility of getting in trouble in King Cross is much higher. We had a big time in this place, scared the hell out of us. Lucky i'm back in pieces. If you think you want to go, remember the golden rule, go in groups, and don't try to talk or nego to/with bouncers if you don;t wish to enter their club.


So the next day, 3rd day:

katoomba,Blue mountain, and featherdale park, - I paid around A$70 for a 1 day tour.. i forgot the name of that company. superb service. very very nice tour guide. Wear a comfortable shoe and prepare to walk quite some distance. If you like wine, do get few bottle of 3 sisters wine. you cant get it outside of 3 sisters hill, not even in katoomba.

featherdale - australian zoo, get to see all australian animals. thats all..


well, like finkl1, I'm also a city folk. I also think that places like Coles supermarket is worth to visit, you will get to experience aussie's lifestyle.

plan your trip well.. good luck

thanks a lot guys...!!! that was very informative. Looks like i may haf to change my plan to 3n sydney and 3n melbourne considering the long list of places. hehehe!!!


Anything else which are:

must eat (good food / titbits)?

must buy (good souvenirs / cheap stuff) - eg what brands are cheaper in Australia compared with Malaysia?

must drink (good drinks)?

must see/experience?

if u are go sydney and melb buy some krispy kreme donuts hehe
drink? wine and beers haha

if u really have alot of time u can travel out of sydney to hand feed sharks and rays -> http://www.ozsharkandray.com.au/

mostly food are steaks, but if u are in Chowdar Bay there is 1 restaurant next to the sea which is taste superb but exp haha but nice view

hmm if u want instead of visiting coles go for woolies more varieties to buy and see, cheap cloths erm u can try Kmart and BigW
recommand u go queen victoria shopping mall like enferno said is highclass and worth having a window shopping its own by Malaysian who owns Garden city.Besides below its a train station and on top is sydney tower haha

Repost:

Any recommend farm to experience on hand plucking and tasting of spring fruits? Btw what r the fruits in season in Oct & Nov other than cherries.